The Rocking-Horse Winner By David Lawrence

“And so the house came to be haunted by the unspoken phrase: There must be more money! There must be more money! The children could hear it all the time, though nobody said it aloud “(Lawrence 411). All people in life are obsessed with money, whether the money is needed for groceries, bills, or frivolous items. The real power of money shows itself when people let greed poison and control their lives. Some say that money is the “root of all evil” while in reality, if spent and budgeted properly, can be easy to handle. In “The Rocking-Horse Winner” by David Lawrence, a young mother, Hester, lets money overthrow her life. Hester becomes obsessed with money, luck, and is not emotionally available.

First of all, Hester is obsessed with money. She is a frivolous spender and tries to send the message she and her family are rich when actually, they are trying to make ends meet. The story implies Hester’s husband is unlucky and is why they are in the money situation they are in.” Although they lived in style, they felt always an anxiety in the house. There was never enough money. The mother had a small income, and the

“Is luck money, mother?” he asked, rather timidly. “No, Paul. Not quite. It’s what causes you to have money” (Lawrence 411). Like stated before, Hester believes she and her husband are in the poor financial situation because of her husband’s luck. “And is father not lucky?” “Very unlucky, I should say,” she said bitterly” (Lawrence 411). Hester making such a big deal about luck, makes Paul feel as if he has to be the lucky one in the family. Paul pushes himself over the edge trying to be lucky for his mother. He dies a tragic death because of his mother. Not only does she push her son to be lucky, but also blames her husband for their poor financial instability, when in fact, the instability is her fault because she lives outside of her